


Bastards At Every Turn

by Basingstoke



Category: Miller's Crossing
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-07-17
Updated: 2002-07-17
Packaged: 2017-10-03 18:50:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basingstoke/pseuds/Basingstoke





	Bastards At Every Turn

He, Mink, he, when he cuts down to it, he's Eddie Dane's boy. He's realizing this as he's smoking and smoking and smoking for breakfast. Not an independent businessman, not someone to be scared of, just Eddie Dane's boy, which really ain't such a bad thing to be really. He's got security. He's bought security with his hands and his mouth and his ass but especially his mouth since Eddie loves to hear him talk, go figure. Loves to hear him talk about nothing for hours and hours on end.

He's Eddie Dane's boy, and that means he's got the arm of the meanest fairy that ever walked God's earth behind him. Not like being Bernie Bernbaum's boy which is pathetic, just pathetic, and what was he thinking? What? He was thinking stupid things about respect and being an independent businessman with contracts and maybe a car and look where it got him, nowhere, and look what it got Bernie, bumped. By Tom who he thought was a straight shooter and Mink doesn't know a damn thing. Jesus! Except being Eddie Dane's boy and he wishes Eddie would come over, he knows he's busy but he wishes he would come over. He wants to sit next to Eddie and talk about the ponies and Verna and the weather. He wants to go for a ride in the sheets in the big hotel bed. He's smoking and smoking and smoking with his hands and his mouth and the ashtray and the window. Watching out the window.

Eddie between the sheets is scary but he's used to it, used to it, okay with everything, even when Eddie puts his hands around Mink's neck and tells him I could squeeze your heard right off and Mink believes him, believes him, Jesus! who wouldn't? He feels like iron and wood. Mink gets bruises every time from Eddie's knee or palm or hip or chin like the one right now that's green in a teardrop all the way down the inside of his thigh from where Eddie knelt on him and put his hand on his throat and kissed him hard hard hard and *loved* him funny teeth and all and that's another part of being Eddie Dane's boy, love like a midsummer's fucking day with the birds and the big yellow sun. Love that burns.

Smoking and smoking and smoking with the cracked glass ashtray on the green bruise on his thigh. Watching for Eddie. Watching to see who's watching because someone was following him watching and he had to bump him off. Jesus! Him. It should have been Eddie like the time that mug stole his coat and Eddie came back with his teeth in a cigar box, every single one, and then everyone knew he was Eddie Dane's boy and nobody touched him. Magic trick. Poof and he's Cinderella. He likes it. And ha! Bernie could never do that, big-mouthed sheeny grift. He could touch Mink and hold him and whisper big fat dreams in his ear but could he stop a guy from capping him? No. Eddie busted a guy's face for looking at him and broke a guy's legs for calling him a fairy and tied some poor mook's fingers in a knot just to show he could and now he's Eddie the Dane who scares everyone, invincible, made of steel and lead and ice, and it was Casper who made the big score by hiring instead of Eddie being a lucky guy. Iceman Eddie don't need luck.

Cold all the time except when Mink touches him and then he's warm. Lights Mink right up. Mink sits on his lap and kisses him and things are all right, they got whiskey and smokes and Eddie's got his arms around Mink like he's fragile or something and then it's good and fine.

Jesus! he wants to see Eddie. He's going crazy here with his smokes and his medicine that's not doing him a damn bit of good because he's already sicked up three times from the nerves.

He's worried it might be the end of the line. He's scared, Jesus! who wouldn't be? He's scared that Eddie is going to find out the big fat lies Bernie whispered in his ear and then it's Eddie's hands around his neck one more time the last time and Jesus! Jesus! he's gonna be sick again.

Now he's back and forth on the rug window to door to dresser to bed to window and looking at the phone but he can't call Eddie at work and Eddie is always at work. Eddie told him he's not going to be like those henpecked eye-tais with the yammering wife and his hand was on Mink's shoulder so he nodded and he obeys. Could call Tom but what would he say, don't whack me? He doesn't know Tom what Tom knows what Tom wants, the big mystery man who don't want anything. Tom ain't scared of Eddie. Eddie thinks Tom is a snake. Tom thinks Mink is a twist. Tom might be right because Mink wants wants wants Eddie here and maybe they can twist the sheets before Eddie kills him because Mink can't keep a secret, never could, and Mink is the reason Bernie is dead. Casper killed Bernie because Mink talks too much.

Bernie kissed the bruise on his arm and asked if he liked it and Mink said yes and no and Jesus! because Bernie pressed the bruise and laughed and licked him and after said look, we can make big money, big money, Casper ain't so bright, and Mink said Eddie is so bright and Bernie said who cares? Casper don't listen. And Bernie had Mink talk to Fat Vic and Fat Vic talked to Bernie and Bernie rolled in the scratch and Mink told Lannie and Jesus! Jesus! he's pacing back and forth window to door to bed to phone to window to bed to door pulling at his hair and smoking, smoking.

Wants Eddie to smile at him again before he's dead.

He's made a lot of bonehead plays in his time but picking Bernie over Eddie was definitely the worst. He's just gotta fix things, gotta figure out how.

Knock on the door and he collapses against the footboard, sucking at the smoke and dropping the butt and clutching the wood shaking shaking and he gets up and he straightens his hair and he gets a big smile ready and he opens the door and it's Bernie come back from the dead.

Bernie saying hiya and Mink saying Jesus! and Bernie pushes Mink into the room and they fall onto the bed and Bernie kisses him, kisses him, touches him all over, and says we're going for a walk. Get your cigarettes, we're going for a walk.

But Eddie said stay here and then there's a gun under his chin and he can't breathe and Bernie is hard and cold and says walk, walk, and Mink walks. Walks for miles. Walks to Miller's Crossing.

He knows he's dead right here. Isn't going to happen like he thought, but he's dead, dead, dead. Bernie wipes Mink's eyes with his handkerchief and smiles at him with the gun in his hand and says sorry, I need a body here and you got a big mouth. Cold hard Bernie with his big soft face and his pretty poison tongue and he says for what it's worth, I think Eddie is going to miss you.

Eddie, Eddie, Eddie Dane! love you. Mink thinks of his big summer smile and closes his eyes as Bernie cocks the gun.

*


End file.
